Egypt’s Anti-Coup Alliance promises more protests

Supporters of Muslim Brotherhood and Egypt's ousted President Mohamed Morsi gather in Cairo's Abbassiya neighborhood on August 16, 2013.

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The Anti-Coup Alliance in Egypt has pledged to hold more protests despite a fatal crackdown by security forces on supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
Morsi's backers continue to protest in the capital Cairo and other cities across the North African country to demand his reinstatement.
Egypt has been experiencing unrelenting violence since July 3, when the army toppled Morsi, suspended the constitution and dissolved the parliament. The military also appointed the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, Adly Mahmoud Mansour, as the new interim president.
On August 14, the military-appointed government launched a brutal crackdown on thousands of peaceful pro-Morsi protesters in Cairo, leaving about 640 dead and hundreds of others injured.
On Sunday, Muslim Brotherhood canceled several rallies set to be held in the capital later in the day in an effort to prevent further bloodshed.
On the same day, the European Union said it would review ties with Egypt's military and interim government unless the bloodshed ends.
“The EU will urgently review in the coming days its relations with Egypt,” EU leaders Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso said.
However, Egypt’s interim Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy has defended the army’s heavy-handed crackdown on thousands of pro-Morsi protesters.
Egypt’s army chief General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has also vowed not to back down in the face of what he calls violence. “We will not stand by silently watching the destruction of the country and the people or the torching [of] the nation and terrorizing the citizens.”
The interim government in Egypt has been facing international condemnation over the killing of protesters. Amnesty International has called for a thorough and unbiased investigation into the August 14 massacre.
“Based on the initial testimonies and other evidence we've gathered, there seems to be little doubt the security forces have been acting with blatant disregard for human life, and full investigations that are both impartial and independent are urgently needed,” said Philip Luther, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa program director.
MR/AS